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(Chicago) — TASC President Pam Rodriguez has been named to Governor-elect JB Pritzker’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee, which will advise the incoming administration on criminal justice reform and public safety.

Pritzker announced the formation of the committee at a press conference at the Safer Foundation on November 30.

The committee is the eighth of several working groups of the transition made up of subject-matter experts who will advise and guide the incoming Pritzker-Stratton administration. The Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee will be chaired by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Congresswoman Robin Kelly and consist of 42 members.

“If we’re committed to economic justice, let’s be committed to criminal justice reform and public safety,” said Pritzker. “These problems are not separate from each other. They’re intertwined with each other. It’s time to bring real prosperity to every community, tear down the barriers that block people from opportunity, and move away from a system of imprisonment and build a true system of justice.”

“A core promise of our campaign was the creation of the Office of Criminal Justice Reform and Economic Opportunity,” said Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton, envisioning a system of justice that diverts youth and adults from incarceration, modernizes sentencing, encourages rehabilitation, and works to reduce gun violence and create economic opportunity. “I know we can achieve meaningful, lasting progress and opportunity and justice that we all believe in – but only if we act together,” she said.

“The state of Illinois needs to reimagine our criminal justice system,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “This committee will work to challenge and transform the ways our state deals with systemic issues that leave communities of color behind. I look forward to JB and Juliana’s leadership statewide to address gun violence and a more holistic approach to public safety.”

“It’s no secret that Illinois’ criminal justice system has failed communities across our state, and it’s time to fix it,” said State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. “We can start by making our state agencies more accountable to the people they serve, and we can build collaboration across agencies to bring interconnected services into communities that need them most.”

“Governor-elect Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor-elect Stratton are ready to reinvent our criminal justice system so every Illinoisan has a chance to reach their full potential,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. “They recognize that gun violence is a public health epidemic and have real prevention and intervention plans that will keep our communities safe.”

“I am honored to be part of this transition committee,” said TASC’s Rodriguez. “Working with Governor-elect Pritzker’s administration, the committee co-chairs, and colleagues from across the state, I look forward to helping to advance a criminal justice reform agenda for Illinois.”